I stared at her in disbelief. “Oh, my God mom, we just got into town!”
“Yeah, but I agree with Nathan that there’s nothing wrong with making new friends; especially friends who are in law enforcement,” she replied with a straight face.
“Well, I guess,” I answered, staring into the darkness. Obviously, she was beginning to get a handle on her fears and I should have been relieved, but instead, it only made me… uneasy.
Chapter Two
When we finally made it to the cabin, my jaw literally dropped.
“What do you think?” asked mom as she parked the car next to Nathan’s.
“Wow. It’s amazing,” I replied, opening the car door. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
“It is. I saw pictures but wanted to surprise you,” she said, getting out of the car.
This was no average lakeside cabin; it looked like something you’d see on a “Top Ten List” of some luxurious getaways.
“This must be worth millions. I can’t believe we’re staying here,” I said, unable to wipe the grin from my face. I felt like someone had just shouted “Move that bus!” and we were looking at our new dream home.
“Yes, it’s quite extraordinary,” she said, staring up at the cabin. “I’m still in shock that we get to stay here, too. Ernie is a lifesaver.”
“He’s more like Santa Claus,” I replied, feeling giddy. I couldn’t wait to check out the inside. It was possible that Shore Lake wasn’t going to suck quite as much as I thought.
She reached back into the car and pulled out her cell phone. “I’d better call him once we’ve unpacked the groceries. Let him know we’ve made it and how thrilled we are.” Her eyes became misty. “You know, I just can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done.”
I agreed with her there. This place was beyond words. Heck, everything about it screamed money, too, from the expensive cedar wood frame to the thick-plated enormous glass windows; it reminded me of a mountainside chateau in Europe.
“Impressive, huh?” she said.
“Yeah.”
Especially with its two-tiered deck that someone had built on north side of the cabin, and a massive porch that wrapped around the entire main floor. There was even a gazebo with a hot tub next to a courtyard which contained a large grill and several pieces of outdoor furniture for entertaining. Unfortunately, we had nobody to entertain.
“Wow,” said Nathan as he got out of the car and walked over to us. He was also staring in amazement at the cabin. “How in the world did you score such an awesome place?”
Mom smiled. “Ernie.”
“Look, there’s the boathouse.” I pointed down towards the lake. Even that place looked like it was larger than some of the homes in our old neighborhood.
“Cool,” said Nathan, nodding in approval. “I hope the weather is nice tomorrow, so that we can take the boat out,” he started walking towards the dock. “I wonder what kind of boat they have?”
“Check later,” said mom, grabbing her purse. “We need to get this stuff inside.”
He sighed and turned around. “Okay. It’s probably too dark to see anything now anyway.”
She took the keys out of her purse and began walking towards the cabin. “You know, I’m really surprised that there isn’t some kind of alarm on the cabin. I mean, this place is vacant most of the time.” She sighed. “I hope when we get inside, nothing is missing.”
“Everyone must trust each other in these parts,” I said, following her up the steps to the front door.
“Apparently,” she answered, putting the key into the lock. When we stepped inside, she flipped on the lights and my breath caught in my throat.
“Wow…” said Nathan. “This place is… tight.”
“It’s amazing,” she said, taking a step back. “I’m just, speechless.”
“Can we step inside of the doorway, people?” I said, swatting at a mosquito. “Before the bugs enter before we do?”
“Oh, sorry,” she chuckled.
We entered what had to be called the “great room.” It was enormous and had a large soapstone fireplace with a bearskin rug lying near it, which was kind of hokey to me but it certainly added to the affect. Plush burgundy colored leather furniture with hand-carved wooden end tables sat across from the fireplace, and I imagined myself in the chair-and-a-half, reading a book next to a crackling fire.
“Wow, I just love those light fixtures,” gushed mom, staring at the dozens of rustic chandeliers that made the place glow with warmth. She walked over to a row of intricately carved shelves and touched the amber colored wood. “And all of this lovely hand-carved woodwork, the leather furniture, and… oh God, what isn’t there to love about this place? Next time I see Ernie, I’m going to plant a huge kiss on his little bald head.”